Guest Post by Phaedra Patrick

Setting my latest novel, The Year of What If, across various European destinations was an interesting and rewarding experience. I hope readers will enjoy joining my main character, Carla Carter, as she visits the enchanting cities of Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, the beautiful Spanish coastline of the Costa Brava, Portugal, and the picturesque island of Sardinia. Here’s a glimpse into how I researched and brought these locations to life in my story.

I love traveling in Europe, especially the sunshine, scenery and food, and I wanted to write an interesting and fun story that combines adventure, travel, mystery and romance. I especially wanted to explore the idea of a highly superstitious family whose female members believe in a long-time curse on their romantic relationships, and all these various elements came together to form The Year of What If.

Carla is very practical and believes people can find their perfect partner scientifically, so she’s set up a dating agency called Logical Love, where she matched with her fiancé, Tom. Carla is looking forward to their wedding day, however a fortune teller reveals Carla’s true happiness lies instead with someone she met while backpacking across Europe, twenty-one years ago. Feeling equally confusing and intrigued, Carla sets off on a journey from Paris to Portugal, and Amsterdam to Sardinia, to trace her exes before she walks down the aisle with Tom.

I’m fortunate to have visited most of the locations that Carla travels to in my novel. Barcelona is a favourite city of mine and provided a vibrant backdrop for Carla’s first encounter with an old flame. I holidayed there last year which helped me to capture the atmosphere of bustling Catalonia on the page. I love how the city is right next to the sea, and I enjoyed wandering among the vintage shops, tapas bars, and the labyrinthine streets of the Gothic Quarter where the aroma of freshly baked churros hangs in the air. It was a thrill to visit Gaudi’s architectural masterpieces, including the unfinished Sagrada Familia, and the pretty, intricate mosaics of Parc Güell.

Amsterdam, with its iconic canals and artistic heritage, offered a different yet equally dynamic setting. I visited the city around twenty years ago, so it was fun to use Youtube and Google to revisit images and film of the picturesque canals lined with narrow, gabled houses, and the lively coffee shops.

Paris and Sardinia offered a real contrast to each other, with the Eiffel Tower, River Seine and the bistros of Paris providing a romantic backdrop for Carla to explore. I’ve been to Paris a couple of times, and watching videos of Parisian street scenes and cafes helped me capture the city’s ambiance and charm. Sardinia, however, was a late addition to my novel and somewhere I’ve never visited. Carla meets her diving instructor ex-boyfriend there and I called on the knowledge of an old college friend who is now an expert diver! He was able to help me to bring Carla’s diving expedition to life, with details of her equipment, underwater landscape and the fish she might encounter.

The only place featured in The Year of What If that isn’t real is Blanca del Mar, a make-believe Spanish town on the Costa Brava. I created it specifically for the book, based on my holidays in other towns along that coastline. I can still picture its little winding streets and a karaoke bar, in my mind.

Digital resources like YouTube videos and old photographs were very useful tools to refresh my memory and spark my imagination. Watching footage of street scenes and everyday life helped me capture the essence of each place. My old photos froze moments in time, allowing me to revisit specific scenes, adding depth and realism to my story.

Because I took Carla on an exciting whirlwind tour of Europe, I had to make sure her journey made logistical sense, so I spent lots of time checking transport times and links, and sketching out maps to make sure her route was feasible.

Ultimately, Carla not only learns more about the beautiful places she visits, she also discovers lots of new things about herself and her family, too. I enjoyed transporting her to these numerous gorgeous European destinations, and I hope readers love visiting these places, too, from their armchair if not in person.

The Year of What If by Phaedra Patrick

On the brink of her second marriage, Carla Carter believes that she has found the one in her fiancé, Tom, whom she met through her dating agency, Logical Love. But a fortune teller’s prediction reveals that her true love is one of the men she briefly dated during her European gap year twenty-one years ago. Determined to prove the fortune teller wrong, Carla embarks on a journey across Europe to find these past lovers, hoping to rewrite her family’s history of unlucky love.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble